I installed Vegas 8b on my laptop, knowing that it is underpowered (.8 Ghz, 1 GB RAM), hoping to learn the basics and make some short videos before I invest in a better computer. I didn't register Vegas on the laptop, though, knowing that it might not work. Well, I have two problems: 1) I cannot render my first 2 minute video in any format, because it crashes. 2) Now my registration time has expired. So you all could help me by answering two questions:

1) Is it plausible that the crashing is due to the inadequate computer? I know that it would be better if I gave you details of what happens, but I can't open the program any more until I register it. I'm not expecting a diagnosis--just whether experience suggests that the problem might be solved with a better computer.

2) Does anyone know if I could register it on the laptop now, and then move it to a better computer later? How hard does Sony make that process?

Thanks.

It's possible that it's crashing because the computer specs aren't up to par.

I believe you can install it on your laptop, register it, etc... but before you install it on another computer, you should uninstall it from the laptop. Someone correct me if I'm wrong...

Thanks!

1. When you said "underpowered", you weren't kidding.
Considering all the other software that's on your laptop, I'm surprised it ran at all.

2. Sony makes this VERY easy.
Install Vegas on your laptop until you get your new computer.
Install it there, do an online registration and you're off & editing.
They even let you keep it on your laptop & your desktop with the understanding that you won't be using both computers at the same time.
I use it at work and have it installed on my home computer with no problems at all.

Thanks, Paul and Mike; your answers were very helpful. I registered Vegas on my laptop, and (for reasons I can't quite explain), I decided to try making all the clips unavailable to the project except the first one. I guess I was thinking that it might do better without all the overhead. Anyway, it worked; Vegas would render the first scene past where it crashed before. I'm not sure if this is a memory issue, or perhaps a corrupted clip, so now I have some experimenting to do. Thanks again for the help. (And I will be upgrading soon, I hope.)